Rotary electric machines, e.g., synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs) employing auxiliary magnets, and interior permanent magnet motors (IPMs) include rotor cores equipped with magnets. Such a rotary electric machine occasionally shows reduction of magnetic force (i.e., demagnetization) of permanent magnets of the rotor core due to an application of a large opposing magnetic field caused for some reasons. To cope with this demagnetization, an increase in thickness of magnets, for example, may be effective. However, these measures disadvantageously lead to an increase in cost.
Another example of measures against demagnetization is devising the path of a magnetic flux (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this example, a magnetic member is disposed on the surface of a permanent magnet. An end ring of a magnetic material magnetically coupled to a rotor core is disposed near an end of the magnetic member with a gap left therebetween.